In Klungkung
There are Sacred and Commercial Lontars

Document writing on lontar or palm leaf has existed from time immemorial. In Klungkung the tradition of writing on lontar (manuscript on palm leaf) has been known since the administration of the King Waturenggong (fourteenth century). At that time, documents written were about subjects such as herbal medicine, carpentry, arts, history on the establishment of a temple, family genealogy, kekawin (chanted folktale or epic), rituals, customary legislation and so forth. “Those kinds of lontars are still read today,” said Ida Bagus Ngurah, a lontar writer in Klungkung while adding that palm leaf used for the lontar manuscript can last up to 200 years. It highly depends on its maintenance. So, when they are kept at a humid storage, its durability can reduce until 50%.”
What do cause these documents to reach hundreds of years so that come into sacred articles? Ida Ayu Ngurah, a commercial lontar craftswoman from Kamasan Village, Klungkung, added that long durability of the sacred lontar is caused by the process within its making that should pass through several rituals starting from selecting the propitious day. The picking of the lontar leaf should also be carried out on the selected day as mentioned above. By and large, a day with Ingkel Taru (based on Balinese calendar) is avoided.
According to local beliefs, on a day with Ingkel Taru it is prohibited to cut down a tree for the sake of building construction since if it is broken, its timber would be easily assailed by insects and generate negative vibration for its dwellers (if used for house building).
Besides, the lontar leaf that will be used for writing should be sorted from the intact, mature one and boiled until its color turns yellowish and finally dried under the sunlight for three days. Boiling and drying are intended to make the lontar leaf preserved. When all processes have been performed, it’s the time to find out the right day for commencing the writing.
Lontar writer should put on a traditional costume and before starting to write he should present an oblation called pejati. It’s put on the family shrine. This ritual means to invoke blessing in order the entire content of the lontar manuscript is granted with strength and holy vibration. More than that, the place where to write called dulang (single-pillared oblong tray) is also provided with pejati oblation. “When the document writing has completed, it is resumed with pemrayascita (purification). This ritual transpires at Bale Dangin or eastern pavilion within the Balinese house compound,” Dayu said.
Lontar that has been given ritual procession, is stored within a wooden case. Everyday, an oblation is presented on such case. Right on the Saraswati day, it would be offered a special oblation. This ritual may vary at different places. If the lontar manuscript is retained in the temple, its ritual would be held coincided with its temple anniversary. “Not just anyone is allowed to read it. He should have passed a particular ritual procession before reading,” she said, therefore the lontar turns to be sacred. It is different from the lontar made for commercial need like souvenir or others.
How is the later development of lontar? In keeping with the rapid growth of the tourism industry in Bali, people’s creativity emerged to take advantage of the lontar leaf as souvenir. The kinds of souvenir produced are bag, fan, Balinese-style ikebana, wall decoration with panorama motif and so on. Today, the best-selling souvenir is comics on lontar leaf. It tells the about wayang (puppet shadow play) story like the Mahabharata and Ramayana great epic, astrology, Balinese calendar, zodiac and many more.
Since it is business-oriented and should meet the target, the lontar craftsmen do not any longer pay attention to the ritual process. The lontar leaf is purchased at markets and no more treated by choosing the right day and so does the process of boiling, drying and writing. No more ritual procession is required for this. However, in terms of painting art, comic on lontar leaf is not less in quality than that on canvas. (BTN/033)